Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson had the worst season of his career in 2022, throwing 16 touchdown passes against 11 interceptions in 15 games. Wilson, of course, deserves criticism for his poor play, but there are also others who contributed to the quarterback’s struggles.
Former coach Nathaniel Hackett, for example, did not appear to build the offense around Wilson’s strengths. Hackett seemingly held Wilson back — that became clear went the QB excelled in the final two games of the season after Hackett was fired.
The Broncos now have a new coach in Sean Payton, and he will be tasked with getting the best out of Wilson in 2023.
“It wasn’t the type of season he wanted to have,” Payton said during his introductory press conference earlier this month. “I feel like the last couple of weeks, we saw a little bit more of maybe what we were expecting or accustomed to. I say, ‘We,’ [meaning] you all when you signed him. I think the No. 1 job for us as coaches in evaluating our players [is identifying] what are the things that they do really well. Then, let’s try to put them in those positions. At least that’s the starting point, and I think that it is important to highlight their strengths and minimize maybe any weaknesses.
“Here’s what I know. I know that he’s a hard worker. I know he’s an extremely hard worker, and that’s important. You take that and you understand the skill set. … It’s easy to point out what players don’t do well, and there are certain coaches that tend to look at it that way. I kind of was taught early on, ‘Hey, what is it they do well? Let’s have them do those things.’ None of us want to go — I don’t like singing, period, but none of us want to be at a karaoke bar with a song we don’t know the words to. How do we get them comfortable and highlight their strengths? That’s the process that’s going to begin right now. I’m learning about every one of these players, not just Russell.”
Those comments certainly make it sound like Payton plans to build the offense around Wilson’s strengths, as opposed to forcing Wilson to try to adapt to a specific way of playing. Payton is known for his success with Drew Brees, but the coach also won with the likes of Teddy Bridgewater, Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill, who have different styles and varying strengths and weaknesses.
Payton knows how to get the best out of a quarterback. Wilson’s up next.
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